Sirenwings/Singwings
Sirenwings/Shallowwings/Singwings Folklore Sirenwings take place in the world of Wings of Fire, and is a fanfiction species. It is also an open species (only commoners though), so feel free to create your own as long as you credit the original creator: AprilSilverWolf. We would also like you to submit any Sirenwings you create to this group (if you have deviantart): https://www.deviantart.com/sirenwings When creating a Sirenwing, please keep their colours and characteristics canon. There are NO animus Sirenwings. They also come in pastel or neutral colours, but because their scales are so reflective, they can take on many hues at once, very much like a shell. Bright, neon colours are kept to a minimum, mostly flecks depending on shifting light, or the glowing scales can be neon and so can their flaps/tails. Although Sirenwings that live underground tend to be brighter and more vibrant than their surface counterparts (so those ones may be more neon). As far as reflectiveness goes, here is an example: aprilsilverwolf.deviantart.com… Since there is little friendly interaction with Sirenwings to the other dragons in the book, names for them are many. Everything from Sirenwings to Shallowwings, to Singwings depending on the tribe. It seems that every tribe has a different name for them. History: Ancient Sirenwings were not considered dragons. They were wyverns, possessing only four limbs. This wasn't a problem for Sirenwings back when they lived in the deep and had no contact with any of their dragon kin on land or sea. However, once chased out of the deep by an enormous Savage sea monster, Sirenwings learned that there was an entire world outside of their home. The oceans were full of competitors, mainly colonies of Seawings scattered about the warmer climates. Moving inland to fresh water bays, lakes, and rivers, was equally as populated. Faced with predators they had no idea how to cope with, competing for territory with no known battle strategy thanks to their isolation in the deep, Sirenwings responded instead with many migrating into underground lakes, rivers, and aqueducts. Others flitted to small colonies dotting the surface lakes and rivers and built cities there. For a long time Sirenwings stayed in hiding, trying to adjust to a cruel new world that was completely different from their own. Sirenwings have always been jealous of the other dragons, the fact that they not only owned what the Sirenwings wanted for themselves, but also because the other dragons had six limbs: two front legs, two back legs, and two wings. This was something the Sirenwings fervently wanted. Therefore, the Sirenwings never had any animus of their own, but when they got wind of dragons with magical powers (this made them even more jealous), they tracked the rumors down to the sea Kingdom, where they kidnapped an animus to do their bidding. It was a young animus that couldn't defend itself playing on the outskirts. This animus was a trickster however and, though he granted the Sirenwings an object that would allow them to have extra limbs like all other dragons, he also made it so that anyone who touched it would become crippled if they were to ever dry in the Sun, therefore prohibiting them from hurting the land dragons. He didn't tell the Sirenwings this however, and many who touched the rock and then dared to fly died midflight. In rage, the Sirenwings killed the animus in a sacrificial manner, then attacked the Seawing empire, realizing their plan of turning to land had cursed them instead. Their only hope was a battle with Seawings to get their territory. The Seawings, faced with a threat they knew nothing about, tried to defend their Kingdom to no avail. Finally, the Seawings turned to their remaining animus as their only hope. This animus from the sea Kingdom stepped forward to make a truce with the Sirenwings. Feeling a bit of pity for these creatures that did not belong anywhere, she granted them the gift of Adaptation, but took away their ability to live in the ocean by changing their gills, so that they could never again threaten the Seawings. Royalty was granted permission to have the extra limbs in their bloodline, but commoners could never achieve it, unless they themselves became royal. In response the Sirenwings took their humiliation with them and left the ocean forever. Queen Abalone (The Sirenwing queen at the time) went away, still cursed to not be dry in the Sun lest she die, and her bloodline after her. The magical object was buried in a tomb, locked away and always have guards blocking the entrance, so that no other Sirenwing would make the mistake of touching it, since the Sirenwings did not know how to destroy it. The fact that the Queen was still cursed not to go on land troubled the Sirenwings greatly, but they adapted to make up for this crippling. Sirenwings that weren't previously royal were selected as Nobles, who could do the Queen's bidding from far away, and were granted the extra limbs to do their jobs. This was a direct attack on Queen Abalone, for killing the animus brother, but wasn't meant to cripple Sirenwings which is why the animus allowed them to adapt past this with their selection of Nobles. Instead, Queen Abalone and her generations of daughters would be unable to leave the water for very long, but it would not inhibit other Sirenwings from adapting and flying. Therefore the Seawing animus dealt out justice to the Queen and her heritage, while granting mercy to the general Sirenwing population. At first Sirenwings were divided in how to handle this curse. Many argued that they should completely eradicate the cursed bloodline and choose a new one to be royalty. However, the queen barely saved her own scales by suggesting the appointment of Nobles to be the Queen's"face" . Royalty therefore is cursed to hiding underground, but Nobles are free to journey above. Currently Queen Octavia is ruling underground. It is a secret to dragons that the royalty is still ongoing, as the Seawings assumed the Sirenwings would indeed kill off the cursed royal bloodline and start over. To tell a noble from a commoner, Nobles have extra limbs. They also like to wear jewelry to make up for the fact that they are not true Royals but like to think of themselves that way. Most Sirenwings would say the Nobles are better off than the true royals because they get the advantages of royalty but the curse does not fall on their heads. They wear a "reign" of precious element like gold from their beak to their horns. They also wear many dangling jewelry from their horns, wings, and bangles. The ones on their horns can act as windchimes and even make some interesting music when played with their other sounds by sucking in air. You can always hear a noble coming because they jangle their way everywhere. Alliances: Seawings and Sirenwings have been at a stand off for generations. Although they can't do each other great harm, they certainly spew their bitterness at each other. Most Sirenwings are bitter towards the Seawings because of their past, and for making Sirenwings unable to return to salt water. But other Sirenwings don't care for the past and so they fall as neutral. They have no alliances, except perhaps, only once, with Rainwings, because Rainwings were once gullible enough to do anything and Sirenwings are selfish. They also backstab Rainwings plenty of times by luring to the water for their sacrificial festivals. Once Queen Glory ascended the throne however, the Sirenwings abandoned the trade, knowing they couldn't get away with it anymore. Most tribes do not consider trading with Sirenwings, not only because of fear, superstition and communication issues, but also because most tribes know they are backstabbers. Icewings and Sandwings hear rumors but neither of them see Sirenwings all that often. Many underestimate them due to their ignorance, and although Seawings are very careful around them, Icewings especially tend to just think Seawings are over dramatic and weak because Icewings think Sirenwings sound pathetic and inferior. Therefore the Icewings do not really fear the Sirenwings, nor do they care about them. Nightwings, as usual, are very curious about understanding them better. Catching a Sirenwing is a lot harder than catching Rainwings though. Although experimenting on Rainwings earned a lot of disgust from other tribes, no other tribe has anything negative to say about experimenting on Sirenwings because they are generally viewed like Savage animals that aren't real dragons that are troublesome everywhere and to every dragon. Therefore, many tribes have tried to catch Sirenwings for closer study, though so far, only Nightwings have created an official organization for this. Most other dragon tribes also don't know the secrets of Sirenwing lore or where they came from. Even through hatred however, or perhaps because of hatred, Sirenwings and Seawings are the only two that share this mutual secret of the past. Skywings have zero tolerance and kill them on sight, like they do to most of their perceived threats. Mudwings are often a little confused to sharing their rivers with Sirenwings. Mudwings are divided on the issue, thinking Sirenwings could offer them many things if only they could be reformed into being civilized, but Mudwings are disorganized and at a loss as to how to communicate or what to do with them. Many Mudwings also kill on sight individually but the overall tribe is very confused, troubled, and divided on the matter as a whole. Habitat and Appearance: Seawings live in freshwater. Most larger colonies live deep underground in fresh water underground lakes and aquifers and groundwater collections. Smaller colonies live in surface rivers and lakes. Most of the cities are kept in lakes, with some hamlets dotting deeper and wider rivers, but mainly rivers and streams are used for travel. Their gills no longer work in salt water. There is a folklore amongst the Sirenwings that their kind once lived in the great depths of the ocean where no dragon had ever set foot, however, they were driven out by a great ancient beast that ruled the depths, where a mighty slaughter took place of the Sirenwing species. Instead the survivor Sirenwings were forced to abandon the deep, only to find that Seawing colonies ruled other parts of the ocean. Sirenwings retreated to deep underground lakes and aquifers where they were forced to adapt to fresh water with very little oxygen. Over time their gills adapted to freshwater to compensate, able to take in water with very little oxygen, and currently they are unable to return back to the salt water of the ocean, as their gills are no longer fit for it. The colours of Sirenwings can vary, especially among the ones that live underground, where they are very colourful and can light up to catch attention and communicate. The Sirenwings that live among the surface are usually closer to neutral main body colours with colourful embellishes that can be any colour. Sirenwings do not normally use camouflage as a way of protection, and in fact their bright colours can signal warnings like bees or poisonous frogs. Sirenwings mainly communicate and navigate using echolocation. this is especially true of the ones that live deep underground, where their eyes have little use. They can however see in the dark, but in daylight, they do not see as well as other species of dragons. The sounds emitted from Sirenwings are very unique compared to other dragons. Sirenwings cannot roar. However they do communicate using clicks, vibrations, and whistles. They can also emit high frequency shrieks and hissing, more like a snake, birds, felines, or dolphins compared to a dragon. Sirenwings also have a unique ability to suck in air through the holes in their horns, which vibrate along the flaps attached to their horns to create music like stringed instruments. Males and females can create different sounds in this way, because males have strings attached to their horns, while females have flaps. Because of this both their music sounds like different instruments. The females therefore have a louder, richer sound, where the males sound more like stringed instruments, gentler, softer. Together they can create many sounds between the two of them and can weave very fascinating and complex musical sounds. It is because of this ability that some species of dragons call them "Singwings." though it is a very informal title for them. The flaps of skin between the wings and the horns are very light, but can be any colour, and are often transparent or translucent. Many use this ability as a net across rivers. Fish think the transparent flaps between the membranes of the wings are empty but instead crash into the flaps, where Sirenwings can then grab them with their beaks. This works best in streams where the wingspan can block the entirety of the stream so that fish have nowhere to go. This is a learned behaviour from having to adapt in rivers and lakes that the original ancient Sirenwings did not do. On the surface, Sirenwings are very beautiful creatures, and especially with their songs they can attract dragons to shore. The music can somewhat hypnotize a dragon by it's beauty and complexity, however,dragons can resist this if they listen to their logical side and use it to question what's going on, they can usually come to their senses. These songs mostly work on dragons that are too trusting, or ignorant and naive, or do not know much about Sirenwings. The more a dragon knows the more resistant he is to a Sirenwing's songs. Sirenwings are labeled as "savages." because they mainly only use this ability to drag unsuspecting dragons into the water. Sirenwings are cannibals of other species of dragon and therefore they are the enemies of all dragons because of their savage ways. Get too close to a Sirenwing and it's beautiful features turn quickly horrifying. They have two retractable fangs that can sprout out in a millisecond. However, unlike Rainwings, their fangs are not venomous and are only good for using up close. The P's along their head and neck glow in the dark. These are leftover traits that once attracted fish in their deep sea environment, like the angler fish. Though no longer needed so much for freshwater, Sirenwings do find uses for it in their underground colonies where it is completely pitch black, including communicating with each other or illumination. Powers: Another strange trait that is not shared with other dragons, is the fact that Sirenwings have beaks like birds do. Like the pistol shrimp in the ocean, Sirenwings can clack their beaks together so fast and with such force that underwater an airbubble is created and acts like a shockwave that can explode on impact with another creature. This is how Sirenwings kill bigger prey or disorient fish from a distance. This technique only works underwater because of water's density, and although it cannot kill a full grown dragon, it can indeed cause injury and can momentarily stun. On shore, Sirenwings can emit a high pitched frequency shriek that can shatter glass and propel objects. Weaknesses: Sirenwings are not very organized and they are somewhat isolated from each other. They may seem like they have a lot of advantages, but these advantages only work in certain habitats, and away from the shore or in the sky, Sirenwings are at a disadvantage compared to other dragons. Their shriek and their fangs are all they have left if you remove them from their natural habitat. But never let a Sirenwing drag you into the water, as they have many more advantages. Because Sirenwings are scattered throughout the land of Pyrrhia, they do not have a central queen that has all the authority. Each city has its own "queen", and messengers are sent between rivers and underground aquifers. Because of this distance however, Sirenwings can be slower to assemble an army for battle, and their news does not travel as fast because of them being scattered. Sirenwings also cannot fly as well as other dragons, as their wings are designed more for swimming than for flying and are designed so that Sirenwings do not become waterlogged with them while in the water. Culture and Empire: Most dragon species know about the queens/nobles ruling from city to city, but most do not know that there is a queen that lives deep underground that holds the most authority. Most other city nobles/queens answer to this queen in times of crisis or emergency. This queen is rarely seen and remains underground where she is protected by her empire. Therefore the other governing nobles that rule the cities more represent her face than being isolated, even if they are separated by distance. Messengers are always running back and forth. Most dragon species do not know about this networking system and often assume the Sirenwings for being much weaker than they are because of their supposed isolation. Sirenwings are usually named after sea life (including sea plants), seashells, birds, or musical terms. Prey mainly consist of bottomfeeders, underground organisms, fish, and waterfowl. Some also enjoy seaweed and other underwater plants. And aside from that, they also do like to prey on other species of dragon when on a bloodlust. Sirenwings will eat many types of food, unlike other dragons. They are more adventurous in trying food and mixing foods together to create new ones. This may be way they are cannibalistic; because they like to try everything-and they have many festivals about food... Sirenwings are very musical, very adventurous, very social creatures, at least to each other. Festivals Once a year, on the warmest night, most Sirenwings journey to the surface (except the Queen, which is a closely guarded secret) to make music and exchange jewellery, sweets, and food in general. But sweets are exchanged between lovers. This is the ceremony of the season and is usually in celebration of males and females and their differences. Sirenwings regard both sexes equally but give them defining roles that they see that makes each sex unique in this manner. Many musical shows are put on, as well as competition, while males try to impress females with their songs and males battle each other for females using only their display of musical sounds to win over a female. Sirenwings mate for life, and although the Sirenwing society has rules, they are savage in their ways when it comes to finding mates. Males are allowed to battle it out to the death over a female, once a year, and this marks another important day. This happens the day after sweets and music and love notes are exchanged and it is the only time of the year males are allowed to battle each other for a female. Many males prepare all year round for this event. Other dragons find it a mix of a beautiful and savage bloodshed festival, but for the Sirenwings it is a normal way of life and how lifelong bonds are created. Only single Sirenwings are allowed to take part, and males cannot steal someone else's mate, so says the Sirenwing court. Do the females get any say in who wins the battle? Yes and in fact females are allowed to help the male win that they WANT to win, thus leading to a quick bloody death of a competitor. Some females however do not opt to join unless they are certain which male they want to win. Females can also pit males against each other if they can't decide between two of them, so they can observe their strength. Not all Sirenwings are this shallow however and some can choose their mate on the spot. Other males ARE allowed to compete even if a female has chosen, and if that male can beat both the female and male, he gets the rights to the female. Are Sirenwings allowed to surrender so they can avoid fighting to the death? Yes, but it is a humiliating experience that most Sirenwings would wish to avoid, even to the point where they would rather battle it out to the death than face a life of humiliation and dishonour. Sirenwings have an honour expectation, and a Sirenwing that surrenders in a battle is considered weak, cowardly, and worthless. He has very low chances of ever acquiring a female because he is no longer allowed to join in on the all important "love" festival. These Sirenwings are destined to be single for the rest of their life as their punishment, and many Sirenwings look down on them. Therefore, all bonds are taken very seriously. To forsake your bond or be disloyal is a very serious crime to a Sirenwing. Execution is often followed, with the Sirenwing wronged committing the execution in front of the watching council. Rules vary slightly from city to city, as do punishments, but some rules are written in stone for all Sirenwings, and this disloyalty is one of them. However Sirenwings have lots of musical festivals year-round. They even have festivals for captured prisoners and their cannibalistic feasts mark celebrations as well. These festivals fall under different names, vary slightly, and happen at least once a month, because Sirenwings are very musical and social creatures. Sirenwings have a bloodlust. Although cannibalism is not their main diet, dragons are hunted for specific festivals, called "Bloodlust Festivals" where the city will partake in a dragon slewing and feast. Sirenwings are almost religious in their cannibalistic ways, and have many rituals and strange beliefs about dragon blood being spilled in water. Which is another reason why Sirenwings try to drag their victims into the water before killing them. It is an old ritual, or purity law, that the blood must be spilled within the water. Other dragons who know this about Sirenwings can use this superstitious belief to their advantage, as Sirenwings are careful not to spill blood until they reach the water, another dragon could lure a Sirenwing away from the water to take the advantage if they knew this about them. Many do not, however. Because of their gruesome ways, most dragons consider them as savages and none reach out for alliances. Sirenwings are almost always in it for themselves and most won't accept an outsider's help in anything anyway. There is a huge communication barrier between Sirenwings and other dragons because of the way in which they communicate. Much of the Sirenwing communication is not so much in words, but in noises, notes, and music, which will confuse any dragon. Their language is more complex than any other dragon language, and because of their many forms of communication, it is often hard for any other species to understand what is going on. Because of this most tribes fear them because they do not understand their ways or their communication. It is a common saying that you can never trust a Sirenwing or look in its eyes. (The never looking in its eyes part is mostly due to Sirenwings trying to lure dragons into the water by being beautiful, but many dragons mistake that it's looking into their eyes that does this to you. Actually, it is all based on the music that they are hearing...) Most dragons avoid them at any cost, although some prey upon them out of spite, and because of the Sirenwing's disorganization, a Sirenwing that goes missing here and there won't be missed by the Sirenwing society. SIRENWING HYBRIDS INFORMATION: Sirenwing hybrids are extremely rare. This is mainly because of their isolation in relation to other tribes, as well as the general disgust and "dehumanization" of Sirenwings to other tribes. Not only that, but because of the language barrier, it is very difficult for Sirenwings to communicate with other dragons and vice versa. However, that isn't to say that if someone was willing to learn their language, they couldn't speak. They indeed can learn but it would be a challenging task that probably WOULDN'T be supported by the culture of that dragon. Perhaps that dragon would even have to go against direct orders to get to know a Sirenwing well enough to fall in love with one. Another more likely scenerio of a hybrid being created would be for scientific study. Purposefully made to study and experiment on or learn about. Other scenerios could possibly happen, especially among Mudwings because Mudwings share their rivers with them and have the most contact with them. So if a hybrid were to develop it would most likely be within the Mudwing empire. The second most likely would be within the Rainwing or Nightwing empires, because Rainwings are less likely to have barriers (although they are more likely to be eaten than other dragons), and Nightwings because Nightwings like to capture and experiment on Sirenwings. Finally the least likely hybrids to be created would be Icewings and Sandwings because Sirenwings are generally not found in their territories. When hybrids are born, it is more likely for wing deformities to be present at birth. This is because Sirenwings are not true dragons, and are more like a subspecies. They are still able to have sex with true dragons, but because of the different DNA affecting wing growth and anatomy, it is more likely for wing deformities to develop in Sirenwing hybrids than other dragons. Out of all hybrids, it is more likely for deformities to happen in Sirenwing hybrids in general. However, it is also possible to give birth to a sirenwing with no deformities. The chance of deformities is about 25% in Sirenwing hybrid populations. That means that 1 in 4 Sirenwing hybrids will have a deformity of some sort, most likely a wing deformity. You are allowed to make a hybrid Sirenwing. However, please keep the above information in mind when creating one. Also when creating a Sirenwing hybrid, make sure to have at least 50% non-Sirenwing genes in your drawings. This is to avoid bypassing the fact that nobles are not free and basically just throwing a couple traits on your Sirenwing to make it a "hybrid" so that you can basically have a noble Sirenwing. This is not allowed. Make sure when designing a hyrbid, it is at least half of another kind of dragon so that nobles stay unique. Thank you. Category:Fanmade Tribes